Every fall, a park in Barberton, a Summit County city just south of Akron, fills with more than a million chrysanthemum blooms arranged into an elaborate garden design that changes from year to year. The Barberton Mum Festival returns to Lake Anna Park on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, with free family entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, food and potted mums for sale built around a flower display that doesn’t have an equivalent closer to Cincinnati or Dayton.
For Southwest Ohio families, this one takes real planning. Barberton sits roughly four hours from Cincinnati and two and a half to three hours from Dayton, depending on traffic on I-71 and I-76. That is a longer trip than most weekend outings covered here, and families will want to decide for themselves whether it works as a long day or an overnight stop, but the scale of the display, tens of thousands of chrysanthemums hand-planted into a design that changes annually, is the draw.
How the Festival Started
The Mum Festival began in 1991, when Yoder Brothers, Inc. (now Aris Horticulture, Inc.) donated 15,000 chrysanthemum cuttings that were planted along the eastern side of Lake Anna Park ahead of Barberton’s centennial celebration. Mums were chosen because they are the city’s official flower. More than three decades later, the festival draws over 50,000 visitors and continues with public and private support, according to the City of Barberton.
What Families Will Find
The festival’s main draw is the mum display itself: more than a million blooms shaped into a new garden design each year, according to the city. Around it, the weekend includes free family entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and potted mums for sale, all at Lake Anna Park.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Lake Anna Park sits in the center of downtown Barberton, encircled by walking paths, with parking available around the lake. Admission to the festival is free, and it runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days…